Increasing interference reported at Malawi Broadcasting Corporation

The former head of the current affairs desk at the Malawi
Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Albert Ndarama, has been
dismissed from the corporation in what he considers to be a
politically motivated move. Ndarama told MISA he received notice
from the MBC on 16 May terminating his contract with the
corporation with immediate effect.

The notice came only a day after the MBC lunch-time radio current
affairs program "News & Newsreel" carried an excerpt from an
opposition leader's speech accusing the government of corruption.
In the news report, the leader of the Malawi Congress Party
(MCP), Gwanda Chakuamba, accused the ruling United Democratic
Front (UDF) of misappropriating K50 000 (US$ 3 100) earmarked for
the Poverty Alleviation Fund. Chakuamba alleged that the ruling
party instead diverted the money to UDF members, to use in their
local constituencies for political purposes.

Ndarama said he had no doubts his dismissal was the direct result
of the broadcast of Chakuamba's speech. According to Ndarama, on
the same day the speech was broadcast, Minister of Information
and Broadcasting Brown Mpinganjira demanded that the tapes of the
speech be handed over to him. Mpinganjira also gave strict
instructions that under no circumstances was the item to appear
on the evening news broadcast, Ndarama said.

"Employment contracts with the MBC are normally for three years,
and mine had only run for nine months. So, I was naturally
disappointed to be served with a letter saying my services were
being terminated that same day," Ndarama said, adding that he
made no attempt to contest his dismissal because "I would be
beating my head against a brick wall."

Manager of Administration at the MBC Mkeka Msowoya denied that
Ndarama's dismissal was in any way politically motivated. Msowoya
said Ndarama was past retirement age, and the MBC had already
officially retired him. According to Msowoya, Ndarama was only
kept on after retirement because of delays in obtaining his
pension benefits from the insurance company in South Africa.

The dismissal of Ndarama comes amidst increasing reports of
direct government interference in the MBC's editorial affairs, as
well as increased levels of self-censorship by corporation staff.
In April, a memo -- thought by some to have been issued by MBC
Chief Editor Don Chimera -- was posted on the newsroom notice
board, instructing staff to "play down stories that attack the
government's `failure' to maintain security in the country." The
memo was signed "CEditor," but Chimera denies any responsibility
for the memo, claiming he was on leave in a remote part of the
country at the time the memo was issued. Chimera said he did not
know who issued the memo.

However, Chimera told MISA that sometimes political figures did
interfere directly in editorial matters. When asked whether the
MBC was bound to comply with government instructions, he replied
"Yes in a way; we are not as independent as you think. We are
still funded by the government, so there is a limit to how far we
can go in being independent."

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to the Board of the MBC:
-expressing concern at reports of political interference in the
editorial policy of the corporation
-urging the board to take open and concrete measures to ensure
the editorial independence of the corporation